Aquaponic Farm Distribution Coordinator

EMPLOYMENT VALUE PROPOSITION: Mental Health Center of Denver provides you with the support you need to help you develop a career in helping others succeed. We innovate, adapt, and leverage the diverse perspectives of the people on our team and the people we serve in everything we do.

COMMITMENT TO DIVERSITY & INCLUSIVENESS: The Mental Health Center of Denver values and is strengthened by diversity. We are committed to ending bias and discrimination in our community and ensuring equity within all aspects of our organization. We are proud to be an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment, transfer, or promotion opportunities without regard to race, color, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, genetics, disability, age, or veteran status.

COMMITMENT TO PAY EQUITY: Mental Health Center of Denver is committed to fair and equitable hiring with salaries based on relevant factors, such as work experience, education, and certification/licensure (rather than wage history). Toward the principle of equal pay for equal work, we post and hire within defined hiring salary ranges. We ask all applicants to carefully review the hiring salary range for each posted job opportunity, as we will not hire outside the predetermined range.

Learn what it is like to work at the Mental Health Center of Denver:

STARTING SALARY: $19.83/hr - $23.19/hr

POSITION SUMMARY:

The Aquaponic Farm Distribution Coordinator is responsible for supporting the greenhouse production and distribution systems, as well as the general functions of the Dahlia Campus Greenhouse. This position is a multi-faceted role involving the opportunity to work in a state-of-the-art aquaponic greenhouse as part of an integrative campus at the Dahlia Campus for Health & Well-Being. The role supports the farm teams efforts to expand the communal impact of the Mental Health Center of Denvers Dahlia Campus for Health and Well-Being by providing the surrounding Northeast Park Hill neighborhood with a direct, year-round connection to affordable healthy food. Duties of the Aquaponic Farm Distribution Coordinator include: supporting the Aquaponic Farm Manager in food production, distribution, and sales; logging data to ensure adherence to food safety requirements and compliance to licenses; facilitating ideal operating conditions of the greenhouse environmental controls system, aquaponic system, and composting processes following good agricultural and handling practices and high food-safety standards.

ESSENTIAL JOB FUNCTIONS:

• Food Production and Distribution: make local deliveries to restaurants, community members, and other customers; expand the customer base for Dahlia-grown produce by conducting targeted outreach to chefs and other buyers; establish and maintain strategic business relationships; manage and grow distribution in the community; manage communications with customers via phone, text, and email; handle customer accounts using an online sales platform; perform weekly product inventory; generate distribution reports; assist in running weekly Farm Stand (seasonal evening hours); assist in harvesting/packing greens, lettuces, and fish; perform and enforce proper cleaning/sanitizing tasks, record keeping, and best practices to meet food safety requirements when entering the greenhouse and while handling, storing, and transporting food; seed and transplant according to schedule provided by Aquaponic Farm Manager, as needed.
  
  
• General Greenhouse Support: perform general maintenance and cleaning; follow standard operating procedures and maintain appropriate logs; ensure that all farm practices are conducted following GAP, HACCP, and food safety guidelines; test, record, and monitor key system parameters of water quality (pH, temperature, nutrients, etc.), as needed; adjust parameters of environmental control system, as needed; assist with stocking and moving fish, as needed; monitor fish health and assure adherence to daily feed schedule collaboratively with the greenhouse team; identify and mitigate, as needed, any pest and disease issues with the support of the Farm Manager; assist with training and overseeing volunteers; contribute to biweekly meetings with greenhouse staff to ensure smooth communication; additional supportive tasks, as needed.
  
  
• Farms and Gardens Partner Engagement:support planning for and attend special Farm-related events at the Dahlia Campus for Health and Well-Being and occasionally off-site; attend weekly meetings with Farms and Gardens partners and outreach team as appropriate depending upon agenda.
  
  

EDUCATION: Bachelors degree desirable with some background in sciences and/or communications desirable; alternatively, combination of equivalent work experience, coursework, or practical knowledge of biology, chemistry, ecology, urban agriculture, sociology, communications and/or public health. Must have valid Colorado drivers license. Due to the population receiving services on site, employees must pass background check.

EXPERIENCE:

• Minimum 1 year experience in customer-service oriented role.
• 1 to 2 years experience in restaurant or food service industry preferred.
• Experience in farming or food production
• Previous controlled environment (greenhouse) agricultural production experience preferred, experience with Deep Water Culture (DWC) aquaponics a major plus.
  
  

SKILLS AND COMPETENCIES:

• Knowledge or ability to learn and practice trauma informed principles and practices
• Excellent interpersonal skills; ability to communicate respectfully, orally and in writing, with diverse persons
• Willingness to learn about ecological systems and controlled indoor agriculture is a must
• Bilingual Spanish and/or ASL preferred
• Ability to be sensitive to community members and respond to community needs
• Familiarity with restaurant industry and food safety best practices
• Comfortable navigating city streets driving a large van
• Enjoy working in a fast-paced environment
• Competent understanding of life sciences
• Extremely strong attention to detail and thorough follow-through
• Strong technological, observational and problem-solving skills
• Ability to give, receive, and analyze information, formulate work plans
• Ability to think quickly and respond to situations under pressure
• Experience with Microsoft Office, Google Drive, database management
• Ability to perform basic arithmetic quickly (conversions, etc.)
• Passion for urban agriculture and food systems, production, and justice
  
  

TYPICAL PHYSICAL DEMANDS:

• Lift 50 lbs. and carry awkward, heavy items
• Repeated bending over and extended reaching
• Stand for 5+ hours at a time
• Work long hours (occasionally 10+ if necessary)
• Work efficiently in bright, noisy, and wet greenhouse environment
• Withstand substantial temperature variation (58-95 degrees F)
• Manage a fast-paced working environment
• Frequent multi-tasking under high-risk conditions when biological systems are at stake
• Handle a wide variety of farm elements including: algae, biofilm, fish waste, uneaten fish food, decomposing plant material, bacteria, fungus, dead fish, and plant pests
• Requires occasional on-call and weekend hours, and potential coverage on traditional holidays

MACHINES AND EQUIPMENT TO BE USED:

• Refrigerated van
• 20,000 gallon deep water culture (DWC) aquaponic system consisting of two 2,800 gallon filtration-in-tank (FIT) raceway fish tanks, 400 gallon media bed system
• Wadsworth Seed environmental control system
• A team-shared cell phone may be available; willingness to use own cell phone to perform work-related tasks as needed